The children of parents who are incarcerated often experience many problems throughout their lives. Now, a new study has found that they are more likely to abuse drugs and develop addictions that require therapy from treatment centers.

The study, which was conducted by researchers from Bowling Green State University, examined data previously collected by the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, which tracked the records of school-age children through their mid-twenties.

The findings revealed that 51 percent of boys and 40 percent of girls whose biological father was incarcerated reported using marijuana. Conversely, only 38 percent of boys and 28 percent of girls whose fathers were not incarcerated reported drug use.

The study found that children of parents who are in prison were also more likely to use cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.

Researchers said that the number of individuals in prison has expanded tenfold since 1975. Given the increased likelihood of drug use among children of incarcerated individuals, they advocated for policymakers to seek new solutions to the problem. This may help lower the number of young people who become addicted and seek therapy from rehab facilities.